[CMake] Patch to apply! Changing the default name"CMakeLists.txt"! Introduction to "Common Build System"

[Bill Hoffman]

Martin Lutken wrote:

> 
> That might work too.
> I also does not understand why You are soo resistant to a minor feature which 
> couldn't really hurt anyone?

I just want to make sure it is a feature that we want.  I will be one of 
the ones supporting it for as long as CMake is around.  As it is your 
patch has some issues.   For example, if you changed a CMakeLists.txt 
file, and ran make on the build tree, it would fail as it is.  This is 
because the command to rerun cmake would also need to have the -f flag 
as well, and does not. Of course, that can be fixed.

So, I guess the process for getting stuff into CMake should be stated 
somewhere.  So, here it is:

1. Have the idea approved on the cmake mailing list.  Basically get buy 
in from the CMake community and developers for the feature.

2. Create a bug / feature request in the bug tracker.

3. Submit a patch to the bug tracker, complete with a test case that has 
good coverage on the new code being added.

(3 is optional, but should speed things up.  If it is a must have 
feature, then the cmake developers will eventually get around to adding 
it.   However, it it is a solid well tested patch, it will more more 
likely to be added as-is.)

My concerns for this feature are as follows:

It will confuse users of CMake.   They will download a project and have 
to use extra command line arguments to get things to work.  If they just 
run CMakeSetup, cmake, or ccmake as stated in the usual CMake 
documentation it will not work.  Basically, I think it may make cmake 
based builds harder to understand and support.

I would think that the existence of two complete cmake build systems in 
any one source tree, would be one two many.  It is hard enough to 
maintain one build system, much less two flavors of cmake.  Seems like 
something that would only be used as a temporary stop gap.  The new 
build stuff would either be accepted or rejected by the project, and the 
co-existing stuff would go away.  For a temporary thing, it could be 
done with includes, and parallel source trees.

I don't mean to offend, and I appreciate your use and extensions to 
CMake, and look forward to your future contributions.

-Bill